Mobile serving cart and system incorporating same

• US 7,661,459 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Wesley, Mark Edward, Birkmann, Timothy Andrew, Stamm, Brian Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric; Ljiljana (Lil) V
• Application Number:
  US11/607,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 165/11.1, 165/11.2, 165/202, 165/203, 165/204, 165/918, 165/919
• US Class Current: 165/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/67 Service trolleys, e.g. in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/02 involving parts being adjustable, collapsible, attachable, detachable or convertible
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 165/919 Wheeled

Abstract

A mobile cart for serving food and/or beverages is described. According to various implementations, the cart is equipped with a removable mission module. The mission module includes equipment that is used by the cart to perform its designated mission, such as an oven (for a hot food service mission module), a cooling unit (for a cold food service mission module), a beverage dispenser (for a beverage service mission module), a point of sale terminal (for duty-free service mission module), appropriate branding (for a franchising mission), or a custom equipment (for a customized mission). The mission module also includes a processor and a memory. The mission module is removable, and may be one of several mission modules available to the cart. Thus, for each type of mission, there may be a different mission module. This enables the cart to be quickly and easily “customized” for each mission by replacing an unneeded module with a required one.

Claims

1. A mobile catering cart comprising:

a body including a compartment within the body for storing items, and a depression defined on a surface of the body;

a removable module configured for insertion into the depression, the removable module making the mobile catering cart operable for a mission when the removable module is inserted into the depression, the removable module including

a memory storing information regarding the mission, and

a processor that retrieves the information and transmits the information to a docking station that is separate from the mobile catering cart;

a first docking port on another surface of the body, the first docking port being configured to mate with the docking station for receiving power, data and mission-specific fluid from the docking station; and

a second docking port in the depression, the second docking port being in electrical and fluid communication with the first docking port for providing the power, data and mission-specific fluid to the removable module.

2. The cart of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the compartment, wherein the information stored in the memory further comprises the detected temperature.

3. The cart of claim 1, wherein the removable module comprises a cooling unit that cools items stored in the compartment.

4. The cart of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver that queries identification tags of items stored on the cart, the transceiver being communicatively linked to the mission module, wherein the information stored in the memory farther comprises data identifying the items.

5. The cart of claim 1, wherein the first docking port comprises an induction port that receives energy induced by an induction device that is external to the cart and delivers electrical current to the removable module.

6. The cart of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the compartment; and

a radio frequency identification transceiver that queries radio frequency identification tags of items stored on the cart to obtain their identity;

wherein the information stored in the memory farther comprises data regarding the temperature detected by the sensor, data regarding the obtained identity of the items, and data regarding a sanitation procedure performed on the cart.

7. The cart of claim 1, wherein the first and second docking ports comprise a connection for water.

8. The cart of claim 1, wherein the first and second docking ports comprise a connection for air.

9. The cart of claim 1, wherein the removable module comprises a heating unit that heats items stored in the compartment.

10. The cart of claim 1, wherein the removable module comprises a beverage unit for preparing and serving beverages, the beverages being made from the mission-specific fluid.

11. The cart of claim 1, wherein the removable module comprises a franchising module for advertising and distributing branded products.

12. The cart of claim 1, wherein the removable module is one of a plurality of removable modules, each removable module being adapted for a different mission for the cart.

13. A catering system comprising:

a docking station including a power source, a data interface, and a fluid interface;

a food and beverage cart comprising a body including a compartment within the body for storing items, a depression defined on a surface of the body,

a removable module configured for insertion into the depression, the removable module making the mobile catering cart operable for a mission when the removable module is inserted into the depression, the removable module including a processor and a memory communicatively linked to the processor, the memory storing information regarding the mission,

a first docking port on another surface of the body, the first docking port being configured to mate with the docking station for receiving power, data and at least one mission-specific fluid from the power source, data interface and fluid interface respectively, and a second docking port in the depression, the second docking port being in electrical and fluid communication with the first docking port for providing the power, data and mission-specific fluid to the removable module;

a computer located remotely from the docking station;

a computer network, the docking station and the computer being communicatively linked to the network, the docking station receiving the information from the memory via the first and second docking ports and transmitting the information to the computer via the computer network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the cart further comprises a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the compartment, the transmitted information comprising data regarding the detected temperature.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the cart further comprises a radio frequency identification transceiver that queries radio frequency identification tags of items that are stored in the cart, the transmitted information comprising data regarding the responses received by the radio frequency identification transceiver.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein

the first docking port comprises an induction interface that is electrically connected to the removable module,

the power source comprises an induction paddle, and

the induction paddle inducing current to flow from the docking station to the removable module when the cart is docked at the docking station.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the information transmitted to the remote computer includes data regarding the operational status of the cart, the maintenance history of the cart, and data regarding which items have been provided to passengers from the cart.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the docking station transmits maintenance data to the memory of the removable module via the docking port, the maintenance data comprising data regarding a sanitation procedure performed on the cart.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable module comprises a cooling unit that cools items stored in the compartment.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable module is one of a plurality of removable modules, each removable module being adapted for a different mission for the cart.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable module is a heating unit that heats items stored in the compartment.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable module is a unit that prepares beverages from the mission-specific fluid.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the removable module comprises a franchising module for advertising and distributing branded products.